The sudden death of a British singer Amy Winehouse opened once again a public discussion about alcohol and other dependence-causing substances and their connection to fame and performance.
We are often talking about addictions with a hint of self-doubt. It is perhaps a sign of one of our human weaknesses – inability to control oneself totally. We would have to be machines or perhaps robots after all if we controlled every aspect of our behaviour. Humanity is about volition – we have the ability to think and consequently to decide on what to do.
Nature has it that excesses usually do not work for us. Too much food makes us tired, sick and fat. Too much success can lead to overconfidence and a sharp fall down. Too much … On the other side of the scale is too little of anything leading often to other undesirable results. Too little or no food leads to malnutrition and in extreme cases (as in many parts of draught-stricken Africa) to death. Too little or zero success to underestimating oneself, depression and even suicide.
But, why I am writing about all that? By looking at the excesses and a total abstinence of some things in our lives we can observe that our bodies and minds crave for balance. The so called equilibrium finds its foundation in many sciences from psychological well-being, physical health to gravitation.
The same is true about our addictions. We should not fully succumb to them. Buddhists teach us to give up almost everything so we cannot become addicted on anything. Interestingly though, many monks I have met on my trips to Asia were smoking cigarettes like a chimney. Therefore, it seems that letting ourselves to be little addicted on something might be better for us rather than abstaining from everything we are even a little bit curious about.
Sigmund Freud, the Austrian psychologist and founder of psychoanalysis, concluded from his experience in therapy with patients that we form psychological defences against anything we do not admit to ourselves. These defences can manifest themselves in other areas than the initial cause.
That happens to many alcoholics, drug addicts, “sexoholics” , shopaholics and other overtly dependent people. Through their addiction they usually compensate something else missing or dissatisfying in their life. It can be a form of denial.
Therefore, we should be careful and perhaps even wary when we realise we do something too much and rather think what might have lead us to it – finding the original source of our excess behaviour – and trying to solve it. That could perhaps help Amy Winehouse.
Amy Winehouse - picture taken by Rama and published on Wikipedia
It is the same with wine. Interestingly you do not find as many drunk people in France where wine is consumed by many people on a daily basis as you find in Britain where binge drinking is a worrying issue for health department.
Finding a balance or simply your measure is one of the keys to longevity. The European Commission has listed a number of community health indicators which statistically prolong or shorten our lives. Many of these living very long show signs of the right balance in their lives.
In reflection to the previous paragraphs I would like to add that my web site WINEBEING is not meant to promote excessive drinking. I want to share a more thoughtful message through it based on responsible drinking. By winebeing I mean enjoying wine in a harmony with our being. Just savour it, have a glass to relax you when you are tensed and perhaps be inspired by the open and friendly community of winemakers.
On the other hand, we are not perfect and from time to time we consume more than we intended. Then, there is a time for a detox. If you need help with it, you can get inspired by my week-long wine detox I went through after a wild night in Monaco. I have tackled many challenges which arose during my week without wine.
Winebeing 